The present invention, Alocasia ‘Upright Mayan Mask’, relates to a new and distinct interspecific hybrid of Alocasia, hereinafter referred to by its cultivar name, ‘Upright Mayan Mask’. ‘Upright Mayan Mask’ is a new tropical plant used as a landscape and container plant in tropical and subtropical areas.
The new cultivar was derived from a controlled breeding program conducted by the Inventor at his nursery in Louisville, Ky. The overall purpose of the breeding program is to make selections of Alocasia plants with large, colorful leaves that are easy to grow in the nursery and landscape. ‘Upright Mayan Mask’ arose from a cross made in July of 2008 between an unnamed plant of Alocaisia odora as the female parent and an unnamed plant of Alocasia amazonica as the male parent. ‘Upright Mayan Mask’ was selected as a single unique plant in April of 2010 from amongst the seedlings derived from the above cross.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by in vitro propagation under the direction of the Inventor in Eustis, Fla. in June of 2007. Asexual propagation by in vitro propagation and rhizome division of the new cultivar has shown that the unique features of ‘Upright Mayan Mask’ are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.